Last weekend, a team of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP/AMO) helicopter crews was the linchpin in two high-stakes rescue operations in the Franklin and Organ mountains. As per reports, the missions were in response to distress calls involving a severely dehydrated hiker and another experiencing chest pains.
Last Saturday, the El Paso Air Branch received a distress signal, mobilizing their crew and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for an urgent hoist rescue in the Franklin Mountains. After lifting off at 3 p.m., they descended upon the scene where El Paso County Search and Rescue were attending to the patient. Despite the helicopter’s task to rescue the hiker, a rescue specialist, along with two of the Search and Rescue team members, were hoisted 50 feet up to return all safely to the ground. A waiting ambulance transported the patient to local hospital care.
While returning from the first mission, the crew received another call for help, according to CBP news release. The Black Hawk veered towards the Organ Mountains, near Las Cruces, New Mexico, en route picking up an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) from a local fire department. The patient, struggling with chest pains and numb fingers, was found after a 30-minute search, positioned in a mountain valley at 8,300 feet. The rescue specialist, despite the valley's challenges, was lowered down 130 feet to secure the patient for extraction.
Once the patient was onboard, the helicopter sought a stable landing to facilitate the patient's transfer to an ambulance. Air Branch Director Efren Gonzalez highlighted the importance of the coordination between CBP agents and local rescue teams in life-saving operations, stating, “The investment in equipment, training and coordination paid off with these successful rescues.” The teams wrapped the day’s heroic acts and returned to the El Paso Air Branch headquarters, as noted by the same news release.
